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Bynum has a lot of fluid drained from knee

Via the LA Times:

Lakers center Andrew Bynum had a substantial amount of fluid drained from his right knee Monday, according to a team spokesman.

Bynum had almost 2 1/2 ounces removed, after being slowed by torn cartilage in the knee for a little more than a month, an injury that has limited his time and effectiveness on the court.

Undergoing the procedure was a last resort, Bynum said.

"I didn't want to," he said. "I'm the one who had been fighting it the whole time. But it just got to a point where the swelling was just staying there..."

Scal Does Figure 8 Drills With A Towel

Brian Scalabrine is definitely one of those role guys every championship contending team needs to have.  While M.L. Carr was famous for waving the towel during the Finals matchups in the 1980's, our man Scal has taken it to a new level.  After Rajon Rondo scored the Celtics' first points in the opening seconds of Game 6 against the Orlando Magic, Scal is so excited that he grabs a towel on the floor and does some Figure 8 drills with it.

Watch him on the bench closely just after Rondo scores:

Pierce: "I want to play against LA"

 

"That's the natural mentality when you lose to a team in the championship and then have a chance to play that team again," Pierce said after Boston concluded a two-hour practice session at the Sports Authority Training Center at HealthPoint. "That's natural and if I was in [Kobe Bryant's] position, I'd probably feel the same way. I feel that way, regardless. Even though we won [in 2008], I want to play against L.A.; Go there and win a championship in my hometown again. The rivalry, period... There's so many things that can motivate you being in the Finals. You can put them all in a hat and pick one."

ESPN Boston:  C's wanted Lakers too

These guys know damn well what's at stake here. 

You can't put on these uniforms without feeling the rivalry.  You can't play in either town without knowing that if there's even the most remote possibility of a Celtics-Lakers Finals, that's what every fan will be pulling for deep down.

Pierce talks about winning the title in his home town... I'm thinking I want the celebration in Boston again.  As sweet as it would be to party in front of their home crowd... I still want it done on our turf.

As for the particulars of today's practice:  Rondo went most of the way... Sheed avoided contact... 'Quis is probably done for the series.

Can The Lakers Stop Rondo? They've Had Practice Already

During the 2008 NBA Finals, Rajon Rondo was a second year point guard truly learning on-the-fly how to manage a trio of superstars while running a championship driven team.  Throughout those playoffs and especially in the Finals, Rondo's play emulated that of a human yo-yo.  It wasn't until Game 6 where he put his stamp on that series with a clutch performance to close out the Finals.

Rondo came out of the gates early, sneaking up on Pau Gasol for some early game-changing steals that led to quick baskets in transition.  In 32 inspring minutes, Rondo tallied the following line: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 6 steals and just a single tunrover.  It's no coincidence that the Celtics absolutely obliterated the Lakers to officially seal banner 17.

Naturally one of the main focal points for this rematch is just how exactly can the Lakers guard Rondo?  Well just in case you haven't been watching the Western Conference Playoffs, they've had some solid practice already.  LA has already seen the likes of Russell Westbrook of Oklahoma City, Deron Williams of Utah and Steve Nash of Phoenix.  Clearly those point guards are all near the top of the NBA's elite.

In the first round, the Lakers had to deal with Westbrook, who is probably the closest in comparison to Rondo (as opposed to Williams and Nash).  Westbrook averaged 16 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 1.3 steals and 3.3 turnovers per game in the regular season.  Against the Lakers, his averages were: 20.5 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.3 turnovers.  The Thunder relied heavily on Kevin Durant and Westbrook and came within a failed boxout of Gasol in Game 6, in OKC, of forcing a Game 7 in LA.  Westbrook clearly was a problem for the Lakers and that was when he essentially only had one other reliable scoring option in Durant.  The Celtics should study some of the film from that series and watch how Westbrook was able to breakdown the Laker defense.  With vastly more options than OKC at his disposal, Rondo's importance is even more magnified when you observe that OKC series.

Doc: "You feel a responsibiity [to beat LA]"

This rivalry — what does it mean to you?

It means a lot. I know the history. I love the history of the game. To be part of it is huge for me, personally. But you feel a responsibility. You don’t want them to beat you. And that’s just the bottom line. Let’s say you were playing Phoenix. You still would want to win the world championship, obviously. But you’re playing the Lakers, and it’s like you’re thinking more about you want to beat them and less about wanting to win the title. And that’s probably good.

WEEI: Rivers on D&C: "You feel a responsibility" to beat LA

I like the turn Doc is making.

It started with the trophy ceremony after beating Orlando when he said "This starting 5 has never lost a series... EVER."

Doc went from a "I believe in these guys" kinda "rah rah" guy... to a "Hey, everyone... we're here to kick your asses.  Who wants some of this?" kinda guy.

He no longer seems to be saying things like "We CAN do it".  He's saying things like "We WILL  do it."  Like this:

I know we did, we thought, “Let’s get back to them.” I think they thought the same way; at least, that’s what I’m hearing now. It’s happened, and we’ll be ready for it.

This is what makes him such a good coach.  He can sense what the team needs and he's now making the subtle shift. He's now leading this team into a streetfight.  No more canned crap.  He's rolling up his sleeves and leading his team into battle.  

If the Celtics are going to win this series, they're going to have to impose their wills on these pretty boys from LA.  They're going to have to beat them up... make them spend an extra 15 minutes soaking in the hot tub... make them feel the games the next morning.

The Celtics need to be the bruisers from Beantown... bullying the Lakers into submission.  Doc's starting to subtly adopt that attitude.  And I love it.

LA Times pulls post that included stabbing joke

After a quick burst of outrage, the LA Times has apparently pulled the Ted Green piece which included the Paul Pierce stabbing reference.  A quick scan down their blog no longer includes the "guide to hating the Celtics... and the link to the story is now dead.

I have not yet received any acknowledgment of my letter to their editors nor have I seen an apology, but I'll keep you posted if either happens.

Report: Hornets, Thibs in contract talks

Via Woj

The New Orleans Hornets have begun contract discussions with the representatives of Boston Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Hornets general manager Jeff Bower has exchanged proposals with Creative Artists Agency, which represents Thibodeau, on parameters of a possible deal. Sources say Thibodeau still plans to meet with New Jersey Nets GM Rod Thorn about his coaching vacancy sometime before the start of the NBA Finals on Thursday. It’s unclear how close the Hornets and Thibodeau are on a possible agreement, but one thing seemed certain: Thibodeau still wants to stay in play for openings with the Nets and Chicago Bulls, and that could become a slippery slope for his candidacy in New Orleans.

Seems like Thibs has a job if he wants it... but he's trying to keep his options open.

Sounds like the dude who's got one girl... but not the girl he wants.  He'll keep her around until the other one comes to her senses and realizes that all the flowers, candy, personally written songs, hours spent outside the bedroom window, the hundreds... and hundreds... and hundreds of portraits of her he painted in the dimly lit garage with James Blunt's "You're Beatiful" on loop, were all for her because I just KNOW were were supposed to BE together.....

... I'm sorry... what were we saying?

Oh... congrats Thibs.

Your Morning Dump... Where the hate is beginning to flow

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

We begin with two storylines, premises, really, that you must understand up front:

1)  The Celtics cry. They cry more than Best Actress winners at the Oscars. They cry like every game is a wedding. Every time a call goes against them, there will be more tears than Kleenex can handle. They cry even after they have to dial 911 to mop up some fallen opponent who's been mugged and beaten within an inch of his life.

2)  The Celtics also foul. They foul on every play. They foul everyone, from stars to scrubs. They foul as a strategy. They foul as a style. They foul as a tradition. They foul hard and they foul incessantly. They foul just for the fun of fouling. They probably foul their own bus driver on the way to the arena.

LA Times:  Ted Green: Your guide to hating the Celtics

This thing goes on to hate on almost every Celtics on the crew individually. 

Typical LA... can't say much good about their own team, so they're going to launch into the hate right away. 

That's alright... when the Celtics go in an take Game 1, the hate will be turned in on their own team... because that's how LA rolls.  They are as fickle a bunch as you'll find.  They can play great for 47 minutes but if they lag off just a little, the fans will turn on them in the final 60 seconds.

Most Lakers fans don't go to the games for the game.  They go to be seen.  If the Clippers magically got good, they'd be wearing red and blue in a blink.  They'll go wherever the stars go with a script or headshot at the ready hoping for that break to make it big. 

I'll bet most of them couldn't name 3 Celtics if they were looking at the team photo.  I'll bet most of them wouldn't even recognize Sasha Vujacic if the passed them on Rodeo Drive because he's just "beneath" them. 

Win a game in LA, and the sky will start to fall.  Win Game 1 in LA and people will start to burn the car flags they just bought.  Sure, their 5 actually hardcore fans will show faith, but the rest of their bandwagon, front-running losers will just freshen up their spray tans, put on a Dodgers jersey, and move on.

..... see.  We can do hate here too.  That's just a warm up.  Morning shoot-around, if you will.  This will be fun.  Thanks KWAPT for the link.

UPDATE:  In my morning haze, I completely missed this disgusting line about Paul Pierce:

By the way, Pierce's idea of a fun night is going clubbing and getting stabbed. Good times!

If you're offended by jokes about someone nearly being stabbed to death for no good reason... then you can write a letter to the editor of the LA Times.  Chuck has posted the address in the comments.  Keep it professional and classy.  Don't stoop to this jerk's level.

On Page 2: This might be Doc's best job yet

Magic is ready to play on Thursday

Magic Johnson is pretty fired up about the Finals.

Couldn't have said it any better myself.  Well... I could probably have delivered it a little more cleanly... but I mean the sentiment.

Via Lex

Predictions Are Out: With Two More Converts

The 2010 NBA Finals: Where Celtics vs. Lakers Part XII Happens.  ESPN has already posted their "Expert Predicitons," and it looks like the Celtics have converted two more analysts to their green religion.  Amazingly, one of them is native LA writer J.A. Adande.  The other is Chris Sheridan who has had a first hand witnessed account of the C's execution of the Heat, Magic and Cavs. Nobody is picking this series to go less than 6 games, which means everyone is expecting a series for the ages.  The only problem is that we all have to wait five more days for the war to begin.